
Ctas_££)UL_ 
Bodk. .H-4b5_ 



Copyright^ , 



§CS 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



HARVEY'S LANGUAGE COURSE. 



FIRST LESSONS 



ENGLISH LANGUAGE 



THOS. W. HARVEY, A.M. 

Author of Elementary Grammar and Practical Grammar of the English 
Language, and of The Graded-School Readers. 



. •» • » .*•,**•, ; »° ■ , • 



NEW YORK •:• CINCINNATI •:• CHICAGO 

AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY 



THE LIERARY OF 
CONGRESS, 

Two Copies Receiver 

AUG 13 1903- 



TEuu 



Bright Entry 
A- XXc. ijle 

U 14- I $0 
COPY B. 



Harvey's 
eries of School Books. 



Graded School First Reader, $o 13 

Graded School Second Reader, 25 

Graded School Third Reader, 36 

Graded School Fourth Reader, 45 

Graded School Fifth Reader, 70 

Elementary Grammar and Composition, 

Revised, 42 

Practical English Grammar, Revised, . . 65 

Graded School Primary Speller, .... 13 

Graded School Speller, 18 

First Lessons in the English Language 

(old), 20 

Elementary Grammar (old), 33 

Practical English Grammar (old), ... 65 

Copies mailed, postpaid, on receipt of price. 



Copyright, 1 1875,' IiY Wilson, 'Hinklk & Co. 



Copyiii ;nr, 1903, BY Xtfos. a. Hurvey. 



WAR. 1ST LESS. OLD. 
E-P 28 



PREFACE. 



An attempt has been made, in this little manual, to 
arrange a series of progressive lessons in the use of lan- 
guage, which shall lead the pupil to express thought accu- 
rately and concisely, and to avoid, as well as to criticise, 
the most common inaccuracies of expression. The book 
in its present form is simply an extension and application 
of the principles sketched out in the " Oral Lessons " of 
the author's Elementary Grammar. 

As will be seen, grammatical terms have been used spar- 
ingly — those only being introduced with the application 
of which every pupil ought to be made familiar in the third 
or fourth year of school life. 

Sentence-making and composition writing are, it is be- 
lieved, presented in a natural and attractive manner. 
Words are given for the pupil to use in sentences. At 
first, all the words to be used are given; then, a part of 
them. After the pupil has acquired some facility in the 
construction of sentences, he is taught to use groups of 
words, or phrases and clauses, as single words. 

As a closing exercise in sentence-making, the subject and 
the predicate of a sentence are given, the pupils being re- 
quired to suggest modifiers, and to arrange into sentences 
such words and groups as he may select. Experience has 
demonstrated that this is a natural method of instruction, 
and that pupils taught in this manner soon learn to ex- 
press their thoughts with accuracy and facility. 

(iii) 



1Y PREFACE. 

Composition writing is begun with picture lessons. The 
pupil is taught to tell what he sees in a picture, and to 
answer questions about the objects represented in it. The 
description and the answers following it make a composi- 
tion. He is next taught to study a picture, to exercise his 
inventive powers in writing short stories suggested by it ; 
then, to imagine that what he sees through a window or a 
door is a picture as easy to be described as a painting or 
an engraving. Afterward, all real or imaginary picture 
frames being removed, he is required to describe actions 
as they actually occur. These lessons have been used in 
many schools with the most satisfactory results. 

The description of single objects belongs to an advanced 
course of instruction, and its treatment will receive atten- 
tion in the second book of this series. With due deference 
to the opinions of those who differ from him, the author 
must enter his protest against requiring young pupils to 
perform tasks which are severe tests of the ability and 
ingenuity of those belonging to the higher departments 
of our schools. 

The intelligent teacher need not be told that some of 
the lessons in sentence-making may be used in the instruc- 
tion of pupils as soon as they are able to read in a primer 
or first reader. The same may be said of some of the 
picture lessons. In fact, the sooner this work is begun, the 
better for the pupil. He can not too soon be taught to 
express his thoughts in written language. Thorough work 
must be insisted on, however; and no exercise or class of 
exercises should be omitted, neither should any exercise 
be abandoned until the pupil has mastered all its require- 
ments. In the use of this book the teacher as well as the 
pupil should " make haste slowly." 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE. 

The Alphabet 7 

Words . 7 

The Noun 8 

Kinds of Nouns 9 

Names of Objects known by the Senses . . .11 

Number 13 

Sentence-Making 14—26 

Abbreviations ......... 27 

Quotation Marks . v 31 

Picture Lessons 32 — 36 

The Verb 36 

Incorrect Language 38 

The Adjective 39 

Incorrect Language . . . . . . . . 41 

Subject and Predicate ....... 42 

The Participle 45 

The Adverb 46 

Incorrect Language 49 

The Pronoun 50 

Incorrect Language ....... 51 

(v) 



v\ CONTENTS. 

Possessives . 52 

Appositives . .55 

The Preposition 56 

The Conjunction 58 

Incorrect Language 60 

Picture Lessons , 61 — 69 

Observation and Description . . . . . ,70 
Writing from Memory . . . . . =71 

Changing Verse into Prose 73 

Letter Writing , 76 



FIRST LESSONS 



ENGLISH LANGUAGE. 



1. The Alphabet. 

The teacher writes on the blackboard — m, c, n, 1, s, g, a, 
h, q, e, k, r, d, x, v, i, y, w, j, u, o, t, f, p, z, b. 

Teacher. What are these characters called? 

Pupils. They are called Letters. 

T. How many letters have I written ? 

P. You have written twenty-six letters. 

T. Have you seen them written in this order before? 

P. We have not. 

T. In what order have you seen them written or printed ? 

A pupil. In this order: a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, 1, m, 
n, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z. 

T. Can you tell me what the arrangement is called when 
the letters are written in this order ? 

P. It is called the Alphabet 

2. Words. 

Teacher. Can any one tell me what a letter represents? 
A pupil. A letter represents a sound. 
T. That is right. We articulate one of these sounds, or 
combine two or more of them, and have a Syllable. We 

(7) 



8 LESSONS IN LANGUAGE. 

take one of these syllables, or combine two or more of 
Ihem, and make a Word. When we talk or write, we usr 
words to express our thoughts. What, then, is a word? 

a pupii. A Word is a syllable or a combination 
j>f syllables used in expressing thought. 

The teacher writes this definition on the blackboard; the 
pupils copy it and commit it to memory. 



3. The Noun. 

Teacher {talcing a book from his desk). What is this? 
Pupils. That is a book. 

The teacher writes this answer on the blackboard; the 
pupils copy it on their slates. 

T. {pointing to the word "book") Is that a book? 

P. No; that is a word. 

T. That is right. It is a word used as the name of a 
thing, or object. I hold in my hand an object called a book. 
The name of this object is written on the blackboard. 

The teacher calls the attention of the pupils, in a similar 
manner, to a pen, a bell, a crayon, a pencil, a slate, a ruler, an 
inkstand, or to any other objects on his desk or in the room. 

T. Write these names on your slates, in columns, as I 

write them on the blackboard: 

Book. Pencil. 

Pen. Slate. 

Bell. Ruler. 

Crayon. Inkstand. 

T. With what does each word begin? 

P. Each word begins with a capital letter- 



KINDS OF NOUNS. 9 

T. What is placed after each word? 

P. A period is placed after each word. 

T. What are these words? 

P. They are the names of objects. 

f. Now, a name is called a noun. What, then, are the 
*vords which you have just written ? 

P. They are nouns. 

T. Why? 

P. Because they are names. 

T. You may now tell me what a noun is. 

a popn. A Noun is a name. 

T. Write that answer on your slates, and commit it to 
memory. 

Kequire the pupils to write, in columns, the names of all 
objects in the school room — in the sitting room at home — 
in the parlor — in the kitchen — also, the names of objects 
seen on their way to school. 

4. Kinds of Nouns. 
i. 

The teacher writes the words boy, girl, and city, on the 
blackboard, and then asks : What are these words ? 

Pupils. They are nouns, because they are names. 

Teacher. Can I use the word boy when I wish to speak 
of any boy in the school or in the world? 

P. Yes; you can. 

T. It is a name, then, which is common to all boys; that 
is, it can be applied to each of them. What kind of noun 
shall we call it? 

P. We will call it a common noun. 

T. What kind of noun is girl? 

P. Girl is a common noun. 

T. Why? 



10 LESSONS IN LANGUAGE. 

P. Because it is a name which can be applied to all girls. 

T. What can you say of the word city f 

P. City is a common noun, because it belongs to all cities. 

T. Objects of the same kind form what is called a class. 
The name of the class can be applied to any object belong- 
ing to it. Now, what is a common noun ? » 

■ \* 

a pupii. A Common Noun is a name which may 
be applied to any one of a class of objects. 

T. Write that answer on your slates, and commit it to 

memory. 

II. 

Teacher. ( Writes) "John." Is this word a common noun? 

Pupils. No; it is not. 

T. Why is it not a common noun? 

P. Because it can not be applied to all boys. 

T. That is true; but why do boys have different names? 

A pupil. Because we could not tell one from another 
if they all had the same name. 

T. Very well; but do not say "tell one from another;" 
say "distinguish one from another." Distinguish is a better 
word to use than tell. Now, a name which is used to dis- 
tinguish one object from another of the same kind or class, 
is called a proper noun. Proper nouns are the names of 
particular objects. What kind of noun is John? 

P. John is a proper noun. 

T. Why ? 

P. Because it is the name of a particular boy. 

T. What kind of noun is Maryf 

P. Mary is a proper noun, because it is the name of a 
particular girl. 

T. What kind of noun is Boston? 



OBJECTS KNOWN BY THE SENSES. 11 

P. Boston is a proper jwun, because it is the name of a 
particular city. 

T. Can you now tell me what a proper noun is? 

a pupil. A Proper Noun is the name of a 'particu- 
lar object. 

T. Write that answer on your slates, and commit it to 
memory. Remember that a proper noun should always be- 
gin with a capital letter, and that a common noun should 
begin with a small letter, unless it is the first word in a 
sentence. The word / should always be a capital letter. 
Write the words which I pronounce. Do not write them 
in columns, but in lines. Be very careful to place a comma 
(,) after every word except the last. What should be placed 
after the last word? 

P. A period should be placed after the last word. 

Exercises. 

Fence, road, Silas, gate, barn, James, house, cow, hen< 
bird, Emma, Toledo, corner, harrow, woods, fields, Portland; 
sled, wagon, Bichmond, Nashville, peach, plum, Louisville, 
lake, I, Pittsburgh, Chicago. 

Examine the slates. Should any mistakes be found in the 
use of capital letters or the comma, make the necessary 
corrections. Require the exercises to be neatly written. 



5. Names of Objects known by the Senses. 

Teacher. Write on your slates the names of six objects 
which you can see. Write them in two columns, three 
words in each column. 

Pupils write as directed. 



12 LESSONS IN LANGUAGE. 

T. Alice, you may read the names you have written. 

Alice reads : 

Apple. Window. 

Desk. Stove. 

Chair. Door. 

T. What can you tell me about an apple? 

Alice. An apple grows on a tree. 

T. Very well; write your answer on your slate. With 
what should the first word begin, and what should be 
placed after the last word? 

A. The first word should begin with a capital letter, and 
a period should be placed after the last word. 

T. That is right. All the pupils may write Alice's an- 
swer on their slates. Willie, what can you tell me about 
a stove? 

Willie. A stove is made of iron. 

T. You may all write that answer. 

Ask similar questions about other objects whose names 
have been written by the pupils, and require the answers 
to be expressed in writing. 

Exercises. 

1. Write the names of six things that may be known by 
the sense of hearing. 2. Of six things that may be known 
by the sense of touGh. 3. Of six things that may be known 
by the sense of taste. 4. Of six things that may be known 
by the sense of smell. 

Talk with the pupils about the objects whose names are 
given. Encourage them to tell what they know of their 
properties, uses, etc. Let them write sentences like these: 
" Sugar is sweet." " Oranges grow in Florida." " I heard it 
thunder." See that all the words are spelled correctly, that 



NUMBER. 13 

each sentence and every proper noun begins with a capital 
letter, and that a period is placed at the end of each 
sentence. 

6. Number. 

Teacher. ( Writes) "Fan. Fans." Does the first word I 
have written denote one object or more than one? 

Pupils. It denotes but one object. 

T. Does the second word denote one or more than one 
object? 

P. It denotes more than one. 

T. That is right. When a noun denotes but one object, 
it is said to be in the Singular Number; when it denotes 
more than one object, it is said to be in the Plural Number. 
What does the singular number denote? 

a pnpii. The Singular Number denotes but one 
object. 

T. Write that answer. What does the plural number 
denote ? 

a pupii. The Plural Number denotes more than 
one object. 

T. Write that answer, also. What difference is there in 
the spelling of the two words I have written? 

P. The second word ends with s. 

T. Is that word in the singular or the plural number? 

P. It is in the plural number, for it denotes more than 
one fan. 

T. {Writes) "Church. Churches." What have I added to 
church to make it plural? 

P. You have added es. 

T. These are two ways of forming plurals. There are 
many other ways. Nouns ending in / or fe usually change 



11 LESSONS IN LANGUAGE. 

these endings to ves ; those ending in y with a vowel before 
it, add s; those ending in y, with a consonant before it, 
change y to ies ; and those ending in o with a consonant 
before it, add es. 

Exercises. 

Write the plurals of the following nouns : 

Book, fence, box, desk, pencil, potato, money, rose, folly, 
calf, man, boy, girl, child, woman, wind, knife, vessel, house, 
road, ox. 

The teacher should assist the pupils in writing these plu- 
rals. They can not remember and apply a large number of 
rules for their formation. The plural forms must be learned 
by practice in writing them. 

7. Sentence-Making. 
i. 

Teacher. Copy these words on your slates : book, this, mine, 
is. Do these words express any meaning as they are now 
written ? 

Pupils. They do not. 

T. Arrange them so that they will express some meaning. 

P. "This book is mine." 

T. Arrange them so that they will ask a question. 

P. "Is this book mine?" 

T. Well done. When groups of words express some 
meaning, they are said to make complete sense. Such 
groups are called sentences. What, then, is a sentence ? 

a pupn. A Sentence is a group of words making 

complete sense. 

If necessary, the teacher may assist the pupil in express^ 
ing this definition. Write it on the blackboard, and let 
the pupils copy it and commit it to memory. 



SENTENCE-MAKING. 15 

T. What should you place after the last word in the first 
sentence written to-day? 

P. We should place a period after the last word. 

T. That is right; always place a period after the last 
word of a sentence which is the statement of a fact. "This 
book is mine," is the statement of a fact; therefore, a pe- 
riod should be placed after the last word. What should you 
place after the last word in the second sentence ? 

A pupil. We should place a period there. 

T. That is not right; this mark (?), called an interroga- 
tion point, should be placed after the last word in a written 
or printed question. Now arrange these words so that they 
will form a sentence: Iceland, very, is, in, it, cold. 

P. " It is very cold in Iceland." 

T. Arrange them so that they will ask a question. 

P. "Is it very cold in Iceland?" 

T. What mark should you place after the last word in 
the second sentence? 

p. We should place an interrogation point there. 

T. Why? 

P. Because a question is asked. 

T. {Writes) "A sentence which states a fact, is a declara- 
tive sentence. A sentence which asks a question, is an inter- 
rogative sentence.' 1 What is a declarative sentence? 

a pupii. A Declarative Sentence is a sentence 
which states a fact. 

T. Write your answer on your slates and commit it to 
memory. What is an interrogative sentence? 

a pupii. An Interrogative Sentence is a sentence 
which asks a question. 

T. Write that answer also, and commit it to memory. 



16 LESSONS IN LANGUAGE. 

Exercises. 

Form sentences of the following words : 

1. Lesson, an, this, easy, is. 2. June, cherries, ripe, in 
are. 3. Lemons, where, grow, do. 4. Is, house, our, hill, 
the, under. 5. Eiver, into, cap, the, fell, boy's, little, red. 
6. Deep, our, is, lane, very, in, snow, the. 7. Spring, corn, 
the, in, plants, farmer, a. 8. Ice, smooth, the, when, I, 
skate, to, like, very, is. 9. Aunt, river, the, toll-gate, over, 
beyond, lives, the, my. 

Write other, groups, and require the pupils to arrange 
them into sentences. Use this exercise until the pupils 
can easily and readily construct sentences containing not 
less than fifteen words. 

8. Corrections. 

The teacher writes the following sentence on the black- 
board: "jon put his Hatt on mi desk?" 

Teacher. Have I made any mistakes in writing this 
sentence? 

Pupils. Yes; you have made several mistakes. 

T. Emma, will you point out one of them? 

Emma. The first word does not begin with a capital 
letter, and it is not spelled correctly. 

T. How should it be spelled? 

E. It should be spelled J-o-h-n. 

T. Should it begin with a small letter if it were not the 
first word in the sentence? 

E. No, it should not; for it is a proper name, and a 
proper name should always begin with a capital letter. 

T. Frank, can you point out any other mistake? 

Frank. Hat should not begin with a capital letter, and 
it should be spelled with one t. 

T. Why should it not begin with a capital letter? 



SENTENCE-MAKING. 17 

F. Because it is a common name, and is not the first 
word in the sentence. 

T. Are all the other words spelled correctly? 

A pupil. No; my should be spelled m-y, not m-i. 

T. Cora, do you notice any other mistake? 

Cora. Yes, I do. An interrogation point should not be 
placed after the last word, because no question is asked. 

T. What mark should be placed there? 

C. A period; for a period should be placed after the 
last word of a sentence which tells something. 

T. Very good, indeed: but you should say "which states 
a fact," not "which tells something." You may all write 
the sentence on your slates as it should be written. 

Exercises. 

Correct the mistakes in the following sentences : 

1. Silas soled mee his Dog for a Dolar. 2. we shal hev 
plenty of Apples this Faul. 3. how menny Horses has your 
Father got. 4. i found 3 old Knifes in our Gardin? 5. 
Where does your Unkel james live. 6. he lives in texas. 
7. can you write fore Words in too Sekons. 8. perhaps i cann. 
i will try. 9. london is a verry large citty in england ? 

9. Sentence-Making. 
ii. 

Teadier. (Writes) "Me, book, James, a, bring." Arrange 
these words so as to form a sentence. 
A pupil. " James, bring me a book." 
T. Is a fact stated in that sentence? 
P. There is not. 
T. Ts a question asked? 
P. There is not. 
L. L. 2 



18 LESSONS IN LANGUAGE. 

T. Correct. James is told to do something — a command 
is made. For that reason, it is called an imperative sentence. 
Can you now tell me what an imperative sentence is? 

a pupii. An Imperative Sentence is a sentence 
which makes a command. 

T. Write that answer, and commit it to memory. A 
period should be placed after an imperative sentence, or a 
sentence which simply makes a command; and a comma 
after the name of a person or object to whom the com- 
mand is given or the name of a person addressed. 

Exercises. 

Form sentences of the following words : 

1. Go, your, seats, to, boys. 2. Me, your, lend, book, Jane. 
3. Home, go, once, at, Ponto. 4. Minutes, lesson, ten, pu- 
pils, study, the. 5. Question, Anna, this, answer. 6. Arms, 
your, me, in, carry, mother. 7. Team, into, the, drive, the, 
Jonas, barn. 8. Time, not, your, do, waste. 9. Parents, 
obey, your, always. 

Point out the names of the persons or objects addressed in these 
sentences. 

10. Sentence-Making. 
in. 

Teacher. (Writes) "Cold, is, how, Oh, it." Arrange thes»? 
words so as to form a sentence. 

A pupil. " Oh, how cold it is." 

T. What mark did you place after the last word? 

P. I placed a period after the last word. 

T. You should have placed this mark (!) there. It is 
called an exclamation point. A sentence, which expresses 



SENTENCE-MAKING. 19 

some strong feeling or emotion, is called an exclamatory 
sentence. An exclamation point should be placed after the 
last word of such a sentence. What is an exclamatory 
sentence ? 

a pupii. An Exclamatory Sentence is a sentence 
which expresses some strong feeling or emotion. 

T. All may write that answer, and commit it to memory. 

Note. — The teacher should explain the meaning of the 
term "emotion." 

Teacher. (Writes) "Hurra! our side has won!" Does the 
word "hurra! " help to state a fact or to ask a question? 

Pupils. It does not. 

T. That is right. It denotes that we are pleased — that 
we are excited by a feeling or emotion of pleasure. It is 
called an interjection. Other interjections denote grief, joy, 
pity, fear, pain, etc. ; but they all denote feeling or emotion 
of some kind. What, then, is an interjection? 

a pupii. An Interjection is a word which denotes 
feeling or emotion. 

T. Write that answer, and commit it to memory. An 
exclamation point is usually placed after an interjection, 
but not always, unless it stands alone. Kemember that O, 
when an interjection, is always a capital letter. 

Exercises. 

Form sentences of the following words : 

1. Clock, four, hark, the, strikes. 2. Am, ha, ha, ha, I, 
it, glad, of. 3. He, so, say, hem, did. 4. Pretty, is, oh, 
she, how. 5. Away, pshaw, go. 6. Don't, it, ugh, like, I. 

Point out the interjections in the sentences written. 



20 LESSONS IN LANGUAGE. 

11. Sentence-Making. 

IT. 

Teacher. I have heretofore given you all the words 
which you were to use in making sentences. I will now 
give you only a part of them. You may write a sentence 
containing the words rained, last, hard. Supply words neces- 
sary to make complete sense, 

A pupil. "It rained hard last night." 
T. Well done. Has any one a different sentence? 
First pupil. "How hard it rained last night!" 
Second pupil. " Do you know that it rained hard last 
night?" 

T. Write a sentence containing these words: flowers, 
the, bloom. Each sentence must consist of more than four 
words. 

First pupil. " Flowers bloom in the garden." 
Second pupil. " The flowers will bloom when spring 
comes." 

Third pupil. "Will the flowers bloom next week?" 
Fourth pupil. "When will the flowers bloom?" 

Exercises. 

Write sentences containing the following words : 

1. Fish, river, caught. 2. Birds, nests, build. 3. Let, 
slate, pencil, your. 4. Where, swallows, winter. 5. Did, 
elephant. 6. Seven, fourteen. 7. Bugs, basket. 8. Brothers, 
sled, upset. 9. Lesson, learn, minutes. 10. Many, how, 
dollar. 11. Gold. 12. Paris, France. 13. Albany, New 
York. 

Pay particular attention to the choice of words in these 
exercises. 



SENTENCE-MAKING. 



21 



12. Sentence-Making. 
v. 




l,/^w^w^^M 



Teacher. Look at this picture. Where are the boy and 

the girl sitting ? 

Pupils. The boy and the girl are sitting on the grass. 

T. Write your answer. What words in the answer tell 
where these children are sitting? 

P. The words on the grass. 

T. Draw a line under those words. What is the boy 
pointing at? 

P. The boy is pointing at a sheep and a lamb. 

T. Write your answer, and draw a line under the words 
which tell what the boy is pointing at. Under what words 
have you drawn the line? 

P. Under the words at a sheep and a lamb. 

T. Where is the lamb? 

P. The lamb is standing by the side of the sheep. 

T. Write that answer, also, and draw a line under the 
words which tell where the lamb is standing. Under what 
words is it drawn? 

P. Under the words by the side of the sheep. 

T. When do you think the boy and the girl will go 
home? 



22 LESSONS IN LANGUAGE. 

A pupil. I think they will go home when it begins to 
grow dark. 

T. What words in your answer tell when they will go 
home? 

P. The words when it begins to grow dark. 

Show other pictures to the pupils; ask questions about 
the objects in them; require all the answers to be written, 
and lines to be drawn under all modifying phrases and 
clauses. 



13. Sentence-Making. 

VI. 

Teacher. Copy on your slates what I write on the black- 
board. {Writes) "Trees grow in the forest." What words 
tell where trees grow? 

Pupils. The words in the forest. 

T. {Writes) "The knife which you found belongs to me." 
What words tell which knife belongs to me? 

P. The words which you found. 

T. {Writes) "I shall leave when the clock strikes four." 
What words tell when I shall leave? 

P. The words when the clock strikes four. 

T. Now, each of these groups is used, like a single word, 
to assist in expressing the exact meaning of a sentence. 
We can not always do this with single words. These 
groups begin with such words as in, on, to, of for, from, with, 
through, over, under, up, down, beyond, beneath, who, that, which, 
whose, whom, when, where, etc. 

You may now arrange these words and groups, separated 
by commas, into a sentence. {Writes) Oame, friends, through 
the woods, our, from the village. 

First pupil. " Our friends came from the village through 
the woods." 



SENTENCE-MAKING. 23 

T. Has any one a different arrangement? 
Second pupil. " Our friends came through the woods 
from the village." 

T. Arrange these words and groups into a sentence. 

( Writes ) To a store, went, where hats are sold, we. 
p. "We went to a store where hats are sold." 

Exercises. 

Arrange the following words and groups into sentences : 

1. To some poor people, gave, my, I, money. 2. House, 
he, with a light heart, the, left. 3. Whose father you saw, 
the, to our school, goes, boy. 4. Saw, toward us, vessel, we, 
on the third day, a, sailing. 5. Up the street, Sarah, with 
Jane, went, when she left us. 6. You, to hunt, like, do, for, 
eggs, in the barn. 7. Of books, gave, a, for my brother, me, 
package, he. 

Do not call these groups "phrases" and "clauses." Call 
them "groups" only. 



14. Sentence-Making. 

VII. 

Teacher. I will give you to-day only a part of the words 
and groups which you are to use in writing sentences. 
(Writes) Lesson, I, in twenty minutes. Arrange these into a 
sentence, supplying necessary words and groups. 

A pupil. "I learned my lesson in twenty minutes." 

T. Has any one a different sentence? 

First pupil. " I can learn my spelling lesson in twenty 
minutes." 

Second pupil. " I think we can recite our lesson in 
twenty minutes." 



24 LESSONS IN LANGUAGE. 

Let the pupils read the sentences which have been writ- 
ten. Correct all inaccurate expressions. 

T. Use these words and groups in an interrogative sen- 
tence: who, on my desk, a. 

First pupil. " Who put a slate on my desk?" 

Second pupil. "Who left a pencil on my desk y ester 
day?" 

Third pupil. "Who made a mark on my desk this 
morning?" 

T. Use these words and groups in a declarative sen- 
tence: where the men are, went. 

First pupil. " I went to the place where the men are." 

Second pupil. " John went into the shop where the men 
are at work." 

Third pupil. "James went with his father to the hall 
where the men are." 

Exercises. 

Write sentences containing the following words and groups : 

1. Over the river, rode. 2. Wrote, who, on my slate. 3. 
Ran, wolf, through the woods. 4. In the fall, chestnuts. 
5. Merchant, sells. 6. Cat, mouse. 7. Nest, builds, a. 8. 
When the sun shines, day. 9. Where the ground is wet, 
not. 10. That barks, afraid, boy. 

15. Sentence-Making. 

Till. 

The teacher writes "Flowers bloom" on the blackboard, 
with a wide space between the words. 

Teacher. What kinds of flowers bloom ? 

The pupils suggest small, large, sweet, beautiful, white, red, 
blue, etc. The teacher writes these words, in a column, be- 
fore the subject. 



SENTENCE-MAKING. 25 

T. Tell me something about flowers, beginning with the 
word " for." 

The pupils suggest for bouquets, for ivreaths, etc. These 
phrases are written after the subject. 

T. Tell me something about them, beginning with the 
word " that," 

The pupils suggest that grow in the garden, that grow in the 
woods, that grow in the house. These clauses are written after 
the subject. 

T. Tell me where the flowers bloom, beginning with 
"in," "on," "by," or "where." 

The pupils suggest in the garden, in the house, on the hill, by 
the road side, ichere the soil is rich, etc. These phrases and 
clauses are written after the predicate. 

T. Tell me when the flowers bloom, beginning with "in," 
"after," or "when." 

The pupils suggest in the spring, in the ivinter, after the snow 
is gone, when the weather is ivarm, when whiter comes, etc. These 
phrases and clauses are written as before. 

The teacher asks other questions which lead the pupils 
to suggest early, late, abundantly, etc. These words are written 
by the teacher after the predicate. 

T. You may now r take any of these w r ords and groups 
and arrange them so as to form a sentence. What have 
you written? 

First pnpil. " Beautiful flowers bloom in the garden 
when spring comes." 

Second pnpil. "Sweet flowers bloom early by the road 
side." 

Third pupil. " Flowers for bouquets bloom in the house 
when winter comes." 

Fourth pnpil. " Flowers that grow in the woods bloom 
after the snow is gone." 

Each pupil reads a sentence. Should there be any faulty 



26 LESSONS IN LANGUAGKE. 

arrangement of words or inaccuracy of statement, it should 
be corrected. The pupils will soon learn to criticise their 
own work as well as that of their classmates. 

Exercises. 

Use the following sentences in exercises similar to the preceding : 

1. Winds blow. 2. Snow falls. 3. Trees grow. 4. Pupils 
learn. 5. Dogs bark. 6. Birds sing. 7. Vessels sail. 8. Ice 
melts. 9. Boys play. 10. Waves dash. 

16. Sentence-Making. 

IX. 

Teacher. (Writes) "And, truthful, are, Silas, honest, Wil- 
liam, and, Horace." Arrange these words into a sentence. 

A pupil. " Horace, Silas, and William are honest and 
truthful." 

T. What mark have you placed after Horace and Silas? 

P. I have placed no mark after those words. 

T. A comma should be placed after them. Copy what 
I write. (Writes) "Whenever more than two words of the 
same kind are used together, they should be separated by 
commas." Do you think you can remember that rule? 

P. I think I can. 

T. Copy this, also. (Writes) "Whenever two words of 
the same kind are used together, they are not usually sep- 
arated by commas, but are connected by and, or, or some 
similar word." Should there be any comma after honest in 
the sentence which you wrote a little while ago? 

P. There should not. 

T. Why ? 

p. Because it is one of two words of the same kind used 
together. 

T. What word connects them? 

P. The word and. 



ABBREVIATIONS. 27 

Exercises. 

Use the following words in sentences — place commas in 
the proper places : 

1. Morning, and, bright, is, joyful. 2. Cold, the, thirsty, 
hungry, was, boy, and. 3. Kind, Emma, gentle, affectionate, 
and, Alice, Louisa, and, are. 4. Dog, or, run, my, jump, 
did. 5. Clear, the, is, water, cold, and. 

17 Abbreviations. 
i. 

Teacher. ( Writes) "Dr. Wilson is a brother of Gen. Wil- 
son, and the father of Mrs. Lockwood." Can you tell me 
what the first word of this sentence is ? 

A pupil. The first word is Doctor. 

T. That is right; but you see I have used only the first 
and the last letters of the word in writing it. This is a 
short way of writing a word, and is called an abbreviation. 
What other word is abbreviated ? 

P. The word General. 

T. Yes; and in abbreviating it, I have used only the 
first three letters. Is there any other abbreviation in the 
sentence ? 

P. The word Mistress is abbreviated. 

T. Correct. You see that in making this abbreviation 
i have used the first, fifth, and last letters only. Remem- 
ber that a period should be placed after an abbreviation. 

Exercises. 
Write the following abbreviations and their equivalents : 

Dr. Doctor. Esq. Esquire. 

Mr. Mister. Gov. Governor. 

Cr. Credit. Rev. Reverend. 



28 LESSONS IN LANGUAGE. 

St. Saint or Street. Hon. Honorable. 

Mi. Mount. Prof. Professor. 

Bp. Bishop. Pres. President. 

Col. Colonel. Mrs. Mistress. 

Gen. General. Atty. Attorney. 

Maj. Major. Capt. Captain. 

Lieut. Lieutenant. Supt. Superintendent. 

Co. Company. Clk. Clerk. 

Note. — Abbreviations generally begin with capital letters. 

Exercises. 
Make the proper abbreviations in the following sentences : 

1. Colonel Knapp has removed to Saint Louis. 2. John 
Sullivan, Esquire, is not a member of the firm of Sullivan, 
Metz & Company. 3. Superintendent Furness lives on Elm 
Street, next door to Doctor Cass. 4. Mistress Whipple is 
a sister of Professor Clark. 5. Mister Jones and President 
Johnson are now at Mount Washington. 

Correct the following sentences : 

1. Mr Curran and Esq Hanson are the guests of Proff. 
Cutter. Govr. Clinton is now in St Louis. 3. Do you know 
Genl Worthington? 4. He wrote his name, Eli Wirth, Esq 
Clrk. 5. Did you ever hear the Rev Dr Storrs preach ? 



II. 

Teacher. (Writes) "Wm. Jones, Esq., lives in Brooklyn, 
N. Y." In what state does this gentleman live? 

A pupil. He lives in the state of New York. 

T. Correct. The abbreviation for New York is " N. Y," 
the first letter of each word being used. ( Writes ) " N. B. 



ABBREVIATIONS. 29 

Doors open at 7 o'clock P. M." " N. B." is equivalent to 
take notice, and "P. M." is equivalent to afternoon. These 
letters are the initials, or first letters, of Latin words. 
These are not all the ways in which abbreviations are 
made; but they are as many as you need remember. 

Exercises. 
Write the following abbreviations and their equivalents : 

A. M. Forenoon. A. D. In the year of our Lord. 

B. C. Before Christ. C. II Court House. 

U. S. United States. C. 0. D. Collect on Delivery. 

M. C. Member of Congress. Bbl. Barrel. 

M. D. Doctor, or Physician. Lb. Pound. 

P. 0. Post Office. Hhd. Hogshead. 

P. S. Postcript. No. Number. 

B. B. Kailroad. Tilt. The last month. 

M. Noon. Prox. The next month. 

Note. — "A. M.", when placed after the name of a person, 
is equivalent to Master of Arts; "P. M.", when written or 
printed in a similar manner, is equivalent to Post Master. 

Write the abbreviations for the days of the iceek. 
Write the abbreviations for the months of the year. 
Write the abbreviations for the States of the Union. 

Make the proper abbreviations in the following sentences : 

1. Take notice. — These lots are for sale. 2. Joel PheljDs, 
Member of Congress, is now in Nevada. 3. The Narrow 
Gauge Railroad is nearly finished. 4. Send the goods by 
express, and collect on delivery. 5. We arrived at 12 
o'clock, noon. 6. I was in Chicago on the second day of 
the last month. 



30 LESSONS IN LANGUAGE. 



Correct the following : 

1. The meeting will be held on the 2d prox, at 10 a m. 
2. p. s— Shall I send your goods by the New York Central 
r. r. ? 3. How many lbs of sugar did you buy ? 4. The 
letter was sent to Washington c. h. 5. The p. o. is closed 

at 7 p. m. 

Note. — The abbreviations for weights and measures, as 
well as ult. and prox., should begin with small letters un- 
less they stand alone, or at the beginning of sentences. In 
some cases, small letters may be used as the abbreviations 
for forenoon and afternoon. 



ill. 






Teacher. (Writes) "Don't kill the birds." Can you tell 
'me what mark I have used between n and t in writing 
don't? 

A pupil. I can not. 

T. I have used what is called the apostrophe. In an ab- 
breviation or contraction it shows that one or more letters 
have been omitted. (Writes) " 'T is almost noon." What 
letter have I omitted in writing this sentence ? 

P. You have omitted the letter i. 



Exercises. 

Tell what letters are omitted in the contracted words 
in these sentences: 






1. Is n't that horse lame. 2. I do n't know. 3. I told 
'em not to go. 4. We came from o'er the sea. 5. I'll not 
go with you; I'm not well. 6. We're going home. 7. I've 
just come from New Orleans. 8. We '11 help you. 9. 
They 're playing ball in the park. 10. Are n't those men 
sailors? 11. The corporal said, "'Bout, face." 






QUOTATION MARKS. 31 



18. Quotation Marks. 

Teacher. ( Writes ) Alma said, " I am going to hunt 
flowers in the woods," and ran out of the door. You see 
that I place these marks (") before the words w 7 hieh Alma 
used, and these ( " ) after them. Can you tell me why 1 
do that? 

A pupil. I can not. 

T. I do it because the words between these marks are 
the exact words which Alma used. Whenever we quote 
the exact w r ords of another, in writing, w T e should use these 
marks as I have used them. They are called quotation marks. 
The quotation should begin with a capital letter. 

P. Should we always use them when we tell what a 
person says? 

T. By no means. Never use them unless you quote the 
exact language of another. ( Writes ) Mary said that she 
would go with Alma. You see that I do not use quota- 
tion marks in this sentence. I do not quote the exact 
language which Mary used. 

Exercises. 

Use quotation marks and capital letters properly 
in these sentences : 

1. Will you come into my parlor, said the spider to the 
fly. 2. The man yawned, and said, how 7 sleepy I am. 3. 
Did your mother send you, said the merchant gruffly. 4. 
Go then, said the ant, and dance w 7 inter away. 5. The 
pupils kept repeating, four times three are tw T elve, four 
times three are twelve, for at least three minutes. 6. Fast 
bind, fast find, is a good motto. 7. Our orders w 7 ere, be 
ready to start at 4 A. M. 8. How far is it to Camden, 
asked the stranger. 



32 



LESSONS IN LANGUAGE. 



19. Picture Lessons. 







Note. — The answers to the questions in this and the 
following exercises, should first be given orally, and then 
written, by all the pupils, on slates or slips of paper. The 
teacher should write a few of the answers on the black- 
board, to show how the work ought to be done. 

Teacher. (To a pupil) What do you see in this picture? 
Pupil. I see a boy and a girl in the picture. 
T. (To another pupil) What do you see? 
P. I see a bird in the picture. 
T. (To a third pupil) What do you see? 
P. I see a bird's nest in the picture. 
T. (To a fourth pupil) What do you see? 
P. I see a part of a tree in the picture. 
T. How many sentences have you written? 
P. We have written four sentences. 
T. Can not some one, in a single sentence, use the names 
of all the objects referred to in these four sentences ? 



PICTURE LESSONS. 33 

A pupil. 1 can. " I see a boy and a girl, a bird, a bird's 
nest, and a part of a tree in the picture." 

T. Well done. You may all erase the sentences which 
you have written, and in their place write this one. What 
are the girl and the boy doing? 

P. The girl is looking at the bird's nest, and the boy is 
looking at the bird. 

T. Where is the bird's nest? 

P. The nest is on the branch of a tree. 

T. Where is the bird ? 

P. The bird has just left the nest and is flying away. 

T. Why is the bird flying away ? 

P. It is flying away because it is afraid of the boy and 
the girl. 

T. Do you think they will rob the nest? 

P. I do not think they will rob the nest, for they look 
like good children. 

T. {To a pupil) You may read what you have written. 

P, {Beads) " I see a boy and a girl, a bird, a bird's nest, 
and a part of a tree in the picture. The girl is looking 
at the bird's nest, and the boy is looking at the bird. The 
nest is on the branch of a tree. The bird has just left the 
nest, and is flying away. It is flying away because it is 
afraid of the boy and the girl. I do not think they will 
rob the nest, for they look like good children." 

T. That is a nice little composition, is it not? It is 
made up, as you see, of the answers to the questions which 
I have asked about the objects in the picture. You may 
now copy it neatly in your composition book. 



L. L. 3. 



34 



LESSONS IN LANGUAGE. 



II. 




The teacher asks questions about the objects in this pict* 
ure, similar to those in the preceding lesson. The follow- 
ing sentence contains the names of all the objects seen: 
" I see a fox, a goose, a fence, a boy, a hill, and a house 
in the picture." 

Teacher. What is the fox doing? 

A pupil. The fox is running off with the goose. 

T. Where is the house? 

P. The house is behind the hill. 

T. What is the boy doing? 

P. The boy is running after the fox, but I do not think 
that he will catch him. 

T. What will the fox do with the goose ? 

P. The fox will take the goose to his hiding-place and 
eat it. 

T. Frank, you may read what you have written. 

Frank. (Beads) " I see a fox, a goose, a fence, a boy, a 
hill, and a house in the picture. The fox is running off 



PICTURE LESSONS. 



35 



with the goose. The house is behind the hill. The boy 
is running after the fox, but I do not think that he will 
catch him. The fox will take the goose to his hiding, 
place and eat it." 



III. 




Teacher. Willie, tell me every thing that you see in this 
picture. 

Willie. I see a dog, six rats, a spade, and a broom in 
the picture. 

T. What is the dog doing? 

A pupil. The dog is killing a rat. 

T. How many rats has he killed already? 

P. He has killed one and perhaps two already. 

T. What are the rest of the rats trying to do? 



36 LESSONS IN LANGUAGE. 

P. The rest of the rats are trying to get away from him. 
One of them is climbing the broom. 

T. Will the clog catch it? 

P. The dog will catch it; for it can not climb the handle 
of the broom, it is so smooth. 

T. Where do rats live? 

P. Eats live in houses, barns, stables, in holes which 
they dig in the ground, and sometimes in stacks of hay 
and straw. 

T. What harm do they do? 

P. They eat or destroy grain, and the food which is put 
away in the pantry, when they can get at it. 

T. Edwin, you may read what you have written. 

Edwin. (Heads) " I see a dog, six rats, a spade and a 
broom in the picture. The dog is killing a rat. He has 
killed one and perhaps two already. The rest of the rats 
are trying to get away from him. One of them is climbing 
the broom. The dog will catch it; for it can not climb 
the handle of the broom, it is so smooth. Eats live in 
houses, barns, stables, in holes which they dig in the ground, 
and sometimes in stacks of hay or straw. They eat or de- 
stroy grain, and the food which is put away in the pantry, 
when they can get at it." 

20. The Verb. 
i. 



Teacher. (Writes) "The horse trots." Which word 
this sentence tells what the horse is doing? 

Pupils. Trots tells what the horse is doing. 

T. ( Writes) " The boy sleeps." Which word in this se: 
tence tells what the boy is doing ? 

P. Sleeps tells what the boy is doing. 

T. There are a great many words which tell what dif- 



- 



THE VERB. 37 

ferent objects do. When such words are used with the 
names of objects, they generally affirm something of those 
objects. Do you know what affirm means ? 

P. We do not. 

T. Affirm means to say. These words say something of 
objects. Now, a word which affirms something of an object, 
or tells what it does, is called a verb. Can you tell me, 
then, what a verb is ? 

a pupil. A Verb is a word that affirms something. 

T. Write that answer on your slate, and commit it to 
memory. Remember that a verb does not always express 
action. It sometimes denotes being; as, I am; — or state; 
as, I sleep. 

Exercises. 
Affirm the following verbs of appropriate objects .' 

Sail, look, quarrel, hunt, snarl, gobble, scratch, scream, cry, 
buzz, whisper, limp, neigh, whine, stand, dream, mow, reap, 
loiter, roar, bloom, pur, fight, whistle, jump, study, learn. 

Model. — Vessels sail. 

Tell what the following objects do : 

Birds, horses, hens, geese, turkeys, rabbits, trees, scholars, 
farmers, merchants, cats, vessels, flowers, winds, houses, cows, 
sheep, doves. 

Model. — Birds fly. 

Point out the nouns and verbs in the sentences you have written. 

II. 

Teacher. ( Writes) " Horses eat oats." What word, in this 
sentence, is used to show what horses eat ? 

A pupil. The word oats shows what horses eat. 



38 LESSONS IN LANGUAGE. 

T. To what class of words does eat belong ? 

P. Eat is a verb, because it affirms something. 

T. Correct. Oats is said to complete the meaning of the 
verb eat. It is the name of the object upon which the ac- 
tion of eating is performed. For that reason it is called 
the object of eat. The object of a verb is not always a single 
word; it is sometimes a group of words. Now tell me what 
the object of a verb is. 

a pupil. The Object of a verb is a word or group 
of icords which completes its meaning. 

T. Each may write that answer, and commit it to mem- 
ory. An object is always a modifier. Do not suppose, how- 
ever, that every verb is followed by an object, for some verbs 
do not require objects to complete their meaning. 

Exercises. 

Point out the objects in these sentences: 

1. Henry struck William. 2. Alice will learn her lesson. 
3. Cats catch mice. 4. John wrote a letter. 5. Caleb bought 
a book. 6. The dog killed a sheep. 

Write sentences using these words as objects: 

Squirrels, potatoes, hill, trees, bread, cars, sugar, wood, 
cloth, elephant, boats, door, moon, ball, sun, wheat. 
Model. — Boys hunt squirrels. 

Suggestion. — The teacher should now call attention to 
the fact that can, may, could, would, etc., when used as aux- 
iliaries, form a part of the verb. 

21. Incorrect Language. 

Caution I. — Do not use aint for is not or am not; haint for 
has not or have not; or 'taint for it is not. 



THE ADJECTIVE. 39 

Ex. — I. T aint well this morning. 2. He aint my uncle. 
3. 'T aint right to be idle. 4. Haint you been to town to- 
day? 5. Why haint he built the fire? 

Cautiox II. — Do not use done for did; went for gone; saw 
for seen; nor seen for saw. 

Ex. — 1. I done what you told me to do. 2. John has went 
home ; he aint well. 3. We have not saw the sun since last 
Monday. 4. I seen Eli hiding behind the school-house. 5. 
Henry done the mischief; I seen him. 

22. The Adjective. 

Io 

Teacher. {Writes) "Oranges are sweet." What word in 
this sentence describes oranges f 

Pupils. The word sweet describes oranges. 

T. That is right. Sweet is a word used to denote that 
oranges possess a certain quality. (Writes) "Ripe oranges 
are sweet." What other word, in this sentence, describes 
oranges by denoting a quality? 

P. The word ripe. 

T. To what class of words does oranges belong? 

P. It is a noun, because it is a name. 

T. (Writes) "That orange is ripe." What word, in this 
sentence, is used to point out orange f 

P. The word that. 

T. ( Writes) " Henry bought five oranges." What word, 
in this sentence, is used to denote the number of oranges 
that Henry bought? 

P. The word five. 

T. Words which denote the quality of nouns, which 
point them out or denote their number, are said to modify 
them. Such words are called adjectives. What, then, is an 
adjective? 



40 LESSONS IN LANGUAGE. 

a pnpn. An Adjective is a word used to modify 

a noun. 

T. Write that answer on your slates, and commit it to 
memory. Remember that the adjectives a, an, and the are 
called articles. 

Exercises. 

Point out the adjectives in these sentences : 

1. Vinegar is sour. 2. Quinine is bitter. 3. Studious pu- 
pils learn long lessons. 4. Good boys are beloved. 5. The 
day is cool. 6. That house is old. 7. Grass is green. 8. 
Gold is yellow. 9. I have a square box. 10. Ice is cold. 

Tell what nouns these adjectives modify. 

Model. — "Vinegar is sour." Vinegar is modified by sour. 
"That house is old." House is modified by that and old. 

II. 

Teacher. ( Writes) " Good scholars are happy." What 
words, in this sentence, modify scholars f 

Pupils. The words good and happy. 

T. Is good placed before or after scholars f 

P. It is placed before scholars. 

T. Where is the word happy placed ? 

P. It is placed after scholars. 

T. Where, then, may adjectives be placed? 

P. Adjectives may be placed before and after nouns. 

T. ( Writes) "A ball is round." What word is placed be- 
tween ball and round, in this sentence? 

P. Is is placed between ball and round. 

T. When the word is, or some similar word, is placed 
between a noun and an adjective which modifies it, the 
adjective is said to be affirmed of the noun. The word 
which is placed between them is a verb. 



INCORRECT LANGUAGE. 41 

Exercises. 
Write the following adjectives before appropriate nouns : 

Large, this, small, square, that, round, heavy, light, a, an, 
the, smooth, rough, ten, muddy, clear, four, seven, these, 
those, red, blue, green, yellow, cold, warm, dry, wet, sweet, 
pretty, old, young. 

Models. — A large table. That book. Ten dogs. 

Write the following adjectives after appropriate nouns : 

Dark, light, clear, cold, pleasant, sound, rotten, straight, 
crooked, level, broad, narrow, beautiful, ugly, cross, happy, 
wise, selfish, wicked, soft, hard. 

Model. — The night is dark. 

Note. — Adjectives may also be written before the nouns 
in these sentences. 

23. Incorrect Language. 

Caution I. — Do not use this here for this; that' ere for that; 
or them for those. 

Ex. — 1. Does this here book belong to you. 2. No; that 
'ere book is mine. 3. Put them cherries in this here 
basket. 4. Give me one of them apples. 

Caution II. — Do not use these or those before a noun 
which denotes but one object. 

Ex. — 1. I don't like these sort of people. 2. He bought 
a peck of those kind of apples. 

Caution III. — Do not use a before vocal sounds, or an 
before subvocals and aspirates. 

Ex. — 1. He has an hundred horses. 2. This is a open 
country. 3. Mr. Sadler is a honest man. 4. He is an 
universal favorite. 



42 LESSORS IN LANGUAGE. 

24. Subject and Predicate. 
i. 

Teacher. ( Writes) " Ice is cold." What word, in this 
sentence is the name of the object about which something 
is affirmed? 

Pupils. The word ice. 

T. This word is called the subject of the sentence, because 
it is that of which something is affirmed. Can you now tell 
me what the subject of a sentence is ? 

a pupil. The Subject of a sentence is that of which 
something is affirmed. 

T. Write that answer, and commit it to memory. 

Exercises. 

Point out the subjects of these sentences : 

1. Henry is a good boy. 2. Rain falls. 3. I am hungry. 
4. George has a new sled. 5. Clarence was not at school 
yesterday. 7. Our house was burned last night. 8. The 
two burglars escaped. 

II. 

Teacher. ( Writes) "Ice melts." What word, in this sen- 
tence, affirms something of ice ? 
Pupils. The word melts. 

T. This word is called the predicate of the sentence, be- 
cause it is that which is affirmed of the subject. What, 
then, is the predicate of a sentence ? 

a pupii. The Predicate of a sentence is that which 

is affirmed of the subject. 

T. Write that answer, and commit it to memory. 



SUBJECT AND PREDICATE. 43 

Exercises. 

Point out the predicates of these sentences : 

I. George whispered. 2. The wind blows. 3. The light- 
ning flashed. 4. Fire burns. 5. The farmer plows. 6. 
Flowers bloom, 7, Turkeys gobble. 8. I write. 9. He 
studies. 10. The baby sleeps 11. She dreamed. 

III. 

Teacher. ( Writes) " Ice is cold." What word is the 

predicate in this sentence? 

Pupils. The word cold. 

T. Yes; cold is the predicate, The word is joins it to 
the subject. This word is called the copula, because it links, 
or joins, the predicate to the subject — and copula means 
link. Many other words beside is are used as copulas. 

Remember that when the predicate is a noun, a word 
used instead of a noun, or a word denoting quality, it is 
joined to the subject by a copula. 

Exercises. 

Point out the copulas in these sentences : 

1. Ellen is sick. 2. The weather was warm. 3, The boys 
were noisy, 4. I shall be glad. 5. A cat is an animal. 6. 
Nellie will be tardy. 7. John should be careful. 8. The 
road may be muddy. 

Note. — The teacher should be careful, in these exercises. 
to call attention to the fact that will be, may be, etc., are cop- 
ulas. He should also write sentences containing different 
forms of the copula on the blackboard, and use them as 
additional exercises. 

Point out the subjects and the predicates in these sentences : 

1. Boys learn. 2. Grass grows. 3. I work. 4. Vessels 
sail. 5. Dogs growl. 6. Pupils study. 



44 LESSONS IN LANGUAGE. 

Model. — Birds fly. Birds is the subject; fly, the predicate. 

Point out the subjects, the predicates, and the copulas in 
these sentences : 

1. The weather is warm. 2. Mother was sick. 3. Apples 
will be cheap. 4. We may be glad. 5. Sugar is sweet. 6. 
He should be sorry. 

Model. — Vinegar is sour. Vinegar is the subject; sour, 
the predicate; is, the copula. 

Point out the subjects, the predicates, and the objects 
in these sentences: 

1. Pupils study lessons. 2. Horses draw wagons. 3. 
Merchants sell goods. 4. Farmers plow the ground. 5. 
The girl made a bouquet. 

Model. — Helen studies botany. Helen is the subject; 
studies, the predicate; botany, the object. 

Point out the subjects, the predicates, the objects, and the 
adjectives in these sentences: 

1. Deep snow covers the ground. 2. We can learn hard 
lessons. 3. A cross dog will bite a stranger. 4. I like 
good children. 

Model. — That man sells old clothes. Man is the subject; 
sells, the predicate; clothes, the object. Man is modified by 
that; clothes, by old. 

Write five sentences, using verbs as predicates. 
Model. — Corn grows in the field. 

Write five sentences, using nouns as predicates. 
Model. — Wheat is a vegetable. 

Write five sentences, using adjectives as predicates. 
Model. — Chalk is white. 



THE PARTICIPLE. 45 

25. The Participle. 

Teacher. (Writes) " I saw Cyrus playing." Point out the 
subject, the predicate, and the object in this sentence. 

Pupils. / is the subject; saw, the predicate; Gyrus, the 
object. 

T. That is correct. What can you say of the word 
playing f 

P. Playing tells what Cyru? is doing. 

T. Yes; but it does not affirm any thing. It expresses 
action like a verb, but modifies Cyrus like an adjective. It 
partakes of the nature of a verb and an adjective. For that 
reason it is called a participle, which means partaking of. 

Some participles partake of the nature of a verb and a 
noun. Can you now tell me what a participle is ? 

a pupil. A Participle is a word which partakes of 
the nature of a verb and of an adjective or a noun. 

T. Write that answer. It is a long definition, but I wish 
you would commit it to memory. What are the last three 
letters of the word playing f 

P. They are i-n-g. 

T. The participle that ends in ing, is called the present 
participle. It denotes that the act expressed by it is continu- 
ing. Tell me, now, what the present participle does 

a pupii. The Present Participle denotes continu- 
ance. 

T. (Writes) "I saw the letter written." Can you tell me 
which word in this sentence is a participle? 

P. I think I can. Written is a participle. 

T. Why ? 

P. Because it shows that something was done, like a 
verb, and it modifies letter. 



46 LESSONS IN LANGUAGE. 






T. Very good. It is a participle, and denotes that the 
act of writing is completed. It is called a perfect participle. 
Tell me what a perfect participle denotes. 

a pnpii. The Perfect Participle denotes completion. 

T. Correct. It usually ends in d or ed; but sometimes 
in en, n, t, or other letters. There is another participle It 
is formed by placing having, being, or having been before a 
perfect participle, and is called the compound participle. 
Being seen, having seen, and having been are compound par- 
ticiples. 

Point out the participles in the following sentences : 

1. A man was plowing in the field. 2. A boy was seen 
fishing for eels. 3. We picked up drift-wood left on the 
shore. 4. Being fatigued, we sat down to rest. 5, Having 
paid for our tickets, we entered the cars. 

Point out the subjects, the predicates, the copulas, and the 
modifying words in these sentences : 

1. I saw a house burning. 2. The bird was flying. 3. 
The letter was written. 4. The boy being punished was 
a truant. 

Model. — We saw four men fishing. We is the subject; 
saw, the predicate; men, the object. Men is modified by 
four and fishing. 

26. The Adverb. 
i. 

Teacher. ( Writes) " The rain falls gently." What word 
tells how the rain falls? 

Pupils. Gently tells how the rain falls. 



THE ADVERB. 47 

T. What kind of word is falls t 

P. Falls is a verb. 

T. Why ? 

P. Because it affirms something. 

T. The word gently modifies falls. A word that modifies 
a verb is called an adverb. What kind of word, then, is 
gently f 

P. Tt is an adverb. 

T. Why? 

P. Because it modifies a verb. 

Exercises. 

Point out the adverbs in the following sentences: 

1. The moon rose slowly. 2. Our dogs barked furiously. 
3. The young man walked rapidly through the park. 4. I 
will leave you presently. 5. 1 live here. 6. Do you live 
there ? 7. Will you go now ? 8. The babe smiled sweetly. 

Point out the nouns in these sentences. The pronouns. The 
verbs. The adjectives. 

Write five sentences, each of them containing a noun, a verb, an 
adjective, and an adverb. 

Write five sentences, each of them containing a pronoun, a verb, 
and an adverb. 

II. 

Teaclier. ( Writes) "Very large drops of rain fell." What 
word tells how large the drops of rain were? 
Pupils. The word very. 
T. What kind of word is large ? 
P. Large is an adjective. 
T. Why ? 

P. Because it modifies a noun. 
T. What noun does it modify ? 
P. It modifies drops. 



48 LESSONS IN LANGUAGE. 






T. ( Writes) " The rain fell quite fast." What word tells 
how fast the rain fell ? 

P. The word quite. 

T. What kind of word is fast ? 

P. It is an adverb. 

T. Why? 

P. Because it modifies a verb. 

T. What verb does it modify ? 

P. It modifies fell. 

T. A word that modifies an adjective or an adverb is 
called an adverb. What kind of word is quite 1 

P. Quite is an adverb. 

T. Why? 

P. Because it modifies an adverb. 

T. How many kinds of words may an adverb modify ? 

P. Three kinds: the verb, the adjective, and the adverb. 

T. It may modify a participle also. Can any one tell 
me what an adverb is ? 

a pupii. An Adverb is a word that modifies a verb, 
an adjective, a participle, or an adverb. 

T. Write that answer on your slates, and commit it to 
memory. 

Exercises. 

Point out the adverbs in these sentences : 

1. Then all was hushed. 2. Presently a cloud rose in 
the west. 3. I like my school very much. 4. The storm 
was exceedingly violent. 5. The king was again enraged. 
6. Here your neighbor pulls your sleeve gently. 7. Jane 
is a very good girl, and we love her dearly. 

Substitute adverbs for the dashes in these sentences : 

1. It is — cold — . 2. Henry is — sick. 3. — idle boys — 
learn long lessons. 4. The wind blows — . 5. The ice is — 



INCORRECT LANGUAGE. 49 

four feet thick. 6. She spake — to me. 7. I am — comfort- 
able. 8. The wind blew — hard that we could — keep our 
feet. 

Point out the nouns, the verbs, the pronouns, and the adjectives in 
the following sentences : 

1. A hungry horse eats oats greedily. 2. That old man 
is very poor. 3. The warm rain falls gently. 4. I shall 
soon learn my spelling lesson. 5. A very large orange costs 
five cents. 

Point out the subjects, the predicates, the objects, the adjectives, and 
the adverbs in these sentences. 

Model. — That large boy can write a letter rapidly. Boy 
is the subject; can write, the predicate; letter, the object. 
Boy is modified by that and large; letter, by a; can write, by 
rapidly. 

Note. — The pupil need not now be taught that the object 
is a modifier of the predicate. Should any teacher prefer 
to do so, the following model may be used: u Boy is the sub- 
ject; can write, the predicate. Boy is modified by that and 
large; can write, by letter, the object, and by rapidly. Letter 
is modified by a." 



27. Incorrect Language. 

Caution I. — Do not use adjectives as adverbs. 

Ex. — 1. Emma dresses neat. 2. He speaks very distinct. 
3. I am tolerable well. 4. You ought to read slower. 5. 
I am that tired I can scarce walk. 

Caution II. — Do not say, I dont see nothing, dont tell no- 
body, etc. 

Ex. — 1. I don't want nothing to-day. 2. We didn't find 
no chestnuts. 3. John do n't feel no better than he did 
yesterday. 4. Do n't tell nobody nothing about it. 
L. L. 4. 



50 LESSONS IN LANGUAGE. 



28. The Pronoun. 

Teacher. (Writes) ''Ann put Ann's book on Ann's desk." 
Is this a correct sentence? 
Pupils. It is hot. 
T. How should it be written ? 
P. It should be written, Ann put her book on her desk. 

The teacher writes this sentence on the blackboard, and 
the pupils copy it on their slates. 

T. What word is here used instead of Ann's f 

P. Her is used instead of Anns. 

T. This word her is called a pronoun, which means in- 
stead of a noun. All words used instead of nouns are pro- 
nouns. ( Writes) " I heard you tell him." What words, in 
this sentence, are pronouns ? 

P. 7, you, and him are pronouns. 

T. Why? 

P. Because they are used instead of nouns. 

T. (Writes) "They have lost their places." What words, 
in this sentence, are pronouns? 

P. The words they and their. 

T. What is a pronoun ? 

a pupii. A Pronoun is a word used instead of a 
noun. 

T. Write that answer on your slates, and commit it to 
memory. 

Exercises. 

Point out the pronouns in these sentences: 

1. Your father is my uncle. 2. His cows are in our 
pasture. 3. It was the dog that died. 4. She lost the 
book which he gave her. 5. It can not find its mate. 6. 
He told us who they are. 7. I, myself, was with him. 



INCORRECT LANGUAGE. 51 

Substitute pronouns for, the dashes in these sentence* : 

1. John has — kite. 3. — hat was on — desk. 3. Did — 
see the boy — was hurt? 4. — did not see — , but — sister 

did. 5. Lend pen. 6. — say — is — brother. 7. — has 

lost — parasol. 

Point out the nouns in these exercises. The verbs. The adjectives. 

Write five sentences, each of them containing a pronoun and a verb. 

Write five sentences, each of them containing a pronoun, a verb, 
and a noun. 

Write five sentences, each of them containing a pronoun, a verb, a 
noun, and an adjective. 

Write five sentences, using nouns as subjects. 

Model. — Three men fell from the bridge. 
Write five sentences, using pronouns as subjects. 

Model. — He measured the ground. 

29. Incorrect Language. 

Caution I. — Do not use improper forms of pronouns. 

Ex. — 1. Is that house your'n? 2. He took my cap and 
left his'n. 3. This is not my desk; it is her'n. 4. You'uns 
are falling behind. 5. We'uns have our lessons. 

Caution II. — The pronoun you should precede he, she, or 
they, and he, she, or they should precede I or toe. 

Ex. — 1. She and you are sisters. 2. They and you are in 
the same school. 3. I and you will go home now. 4. We 
and he went fishing. 

Caution III. — Do not use him, me, or her as the subject 
or the predicate of a sentence. 

Ex. — 1. Her and me are going to St. Louis. 2. It is me. 
3. Him and you are truants. 4. It is her. 5. You and 
him and me were tardy yesterday. 



52 LESSONS IN LANGUAGE. 

Caution IV. — Do not use which to represent persons, or 
who or whom to represent animals, objects without life, or 
children not referred to by name. 

Ex. — 1. The man which you saw is my father. 2. Have 
they found the child who was lost? 3. I love all which 
speak the truth. 4. Was that your dog who was killed ? 
5. Did you see the poor old man which was here? 6. Eli, 
which was our classmate last term, has left school. 7. 
Henry bowed to the children whom he met. 



30. Possessives. 



Teacher. ( Writes) " Frank reads his books." What word 
tells who owns the books that Frank reads ? 

Pupils. The word his. 

T. To what class of words does his belong ? 

P. His is a pronoun. 

T. Why ? 

P. Because it is used instead of Frank's name, which is 
a noun. 

T. ( Writes) " Frank reads good books." What word 
modifies books, in this sentence? 

P. The word good. 

T. What is good 1 

P. Good is an adjective. 

T. Why is it an adjective? 

P. Because it modifies a noun. 

T. His, in the first sentence, also modifies a noun like 
an adjective. It shows that Frank owns the books; and 
because it does that, it is said to be in the possessive case. 
Possessive means denoting ownership. Pronouns in the pos- 
sessive case are 'called possessives. 



POSSESSIVES. 53 

Exercises. 

Point out the possessives in the following sentences : 

1. Her mother is his aunt. 2. The bird is in its nest. 
3. The men sat in their wagon. 4. I have sold my farm. 
5. Our teacher is kind. 6. Your father is my uncle. 7. Do 
you know whose hat this is ? 

II. 

Teacher. ( Writes) "John's hat is lost." What word tells 
whose hat is lost? 

Pupils. The word Johns. 

T. To what class of words does Johns belong ? 

P. Johns is a noun, because it is a name. 

T. ( Writes) " His hat is lost." What word tells who*** 
hat is lost ? 

P. The word his. 

T. What is this word? 

P. It is a pronoun in the possessive case. 

T. What do we call such a pronoun ? 

P. We call it a possessive. 

T. Johns is used precisely like his. What kind of word 
is Johns ? 

P. It is a possessive. 

T. That is right. It is a noun in the possessive case. 
This mark ( ' ), called an apostrophe, is used to show that 
a noun is a possessive. Eemember three things : 

I. When the noun denotes but one object, the letter s 
follows the apostrophe; thus, ('s), as in Johns. 

II. When the noun denotes more than one object, and 
ends with s, the apostrophe alone is used, as in ladies'. 

HI. When the noun denotes more than one object, and 
does not end with s or x, the apostrophe is usually followed 
by 5, as in mens. 



54 LESSONS IN LANGUAGE. 



Note. — The teacher should illustrate these rules by writ- 
ing appropriate examples of plural nouns in the possessive 
case on the blackboard. The examples should always be 
used in sentences. Show, also, that the apostrophe is never 
used in writing the possessive case of a pronoun, and that 
the possessive case sometimes denotes kind, and not possession. 

Exercises. 

Point out the possessives in the following sentences : 

1. The horse's foot is lame. 2. The river's bank is high. 
3. My father's brother is my uncle; 4. Her doll's dress is 
soiled. 5. Their boots were muddy. 6. Mr. Jones sells 
children's shoes. 7. The men's heads were uncovered. 8. 
We passed by the boys' play ground. 

Point out the errors in the following sentences : 

1. Alice' lesson is learned. 3. James saw a flag on the ox' 
horn. 4. We then went into the ladie's parlor. 5. The hook 
caught in the boys' coat. 6. The vessels sail's are spread. 
7. The hawk is in it's nest. 

Write three sentences, each containing a pronoun possessive. 

Model. — Will you look at my writing? 
Write three sentences, each containing a noun possessive. 

Model. — Where is Sarah's bonnet ? 

Write three sentences, each containing a noun and a pronoun 
possessive. 

Model. — Emma has her mothers muff. 



III. 

Teacher. ( Writes) " The nest of the bird is very small." 
Can this sentence be written in any other manner? 

A pupil. T should write it "The bird's nest is very 
small." 



APPOSITIYES. 55 

T. You would write it correctly. The group "of the 
bird," written after nest means the same as the word "bird's'' 
placed before it. A group of words, beginning with "of," 
then, may be used instead of a possessive. 

Exercises. 

Substitute groups for the possessives in the following sentences: 

1. The barn's roof was blown off. 2. A dog's bark was 
heard. 3. He took hold of the plow's handles. 4. The 
book's cover was scratched. 5. Daniel was in the lion's den. 
6. There is a rat by the dog's kennel. 

Substitute possessives for the groups beginning with "o/" in the 
following' sentences : 

1. The hand of the boy was much hurt. 2. Do not go 
near the bank of the river. 3. The nest of the eagle was 
on a high tree. 4. The hunters came to the den of a 
tiger. 5. We saw the hut of a trapper. 

31. Appositives. 

Teacher. ( Writes) "Mr. Bellows, the blacksmith, died 
yesterday." What word, in this sentence, points out or 
describes Mr. Bellows ? 

A pupil. The word blacksmith. 

T. Yes ; and it denotes that the blacksmith is the same 
person as Mr. Bellows. Because it points out Mr. Bellows, 
it is a modifier of a noun. What is blacksmith? 

P. Blacksmith is a noun. 

T. Then a noun may modify a noun, and not be a pos- 
sessive. When a noun modifies another noun, and denotes 
the same person or object, it is called an appositive, or a noun 
in apposition. 



56 LESSONS O LANGUAGE. 

Point out the appositives in the following sentences : 

1. Mr. Stokes, the sexton, lives on Elm street. 2. Milton, 
the poet, was blind. 3. Stephenson, the engineer, lived in 
England. 4. Morse, the inventor of the telegraph, was an 
American. 5. Washington, the capital of the United States^ 
is situated on the Potomac. 

Write Jive sentences, each containing an appositive. 

Point out the subjects, the predicates, the copulas, and the 
modifiers in these sentences: 

1. Mr. Otis, the lawyer, is very sick. 2. His father knew 
my uncle. 3. Whang, the Chinese miller, acted foolishly. 
4. My grandfather, the celebrated African traveler, was your 
father's uncle. 

Model. — Your friend, the Italian, is my teacher. Friend 
is the subject; teacher, the predicate; is, the copula. Friend 
is modified by your and Italian; Italian is modified by the; 
teacher is modified by my. 

Point out the possessives and the appositives in these sentences. 



32. The Preposition. 

Teacher. {Writes) "The horse ran over the bridge." 
What words tell where the horse ran ? 

A pupil. The words over the bridge. 

T. What kind of word is bridge f 

P. Bridge is a noun. 

T. What kind of word is ran? 

P. Pan is a verb. 

T. The word over shows the relation between bridge and 
ran : the running was over, not under, the bridge. ( Writes) 
"A brook runs under the bridge." Can you tell me what 
word shows the relation between bridge and runs ? 



THE PKEPOSIXION. 57 

P. Under shows the relation between bridge and runs. 

T. {Writes) "The man had a load of apples." What 
word shows the relation between apples and load ? 

P. The word of. 

T. What kind of words are load and apples ? 

P. They are nouns. 

T. A word which shows the relation between a noun 
and some other word, is called a preposition. What, then, 
is a preposition ? 

a pupil. A Preposition is a ivord used to show the 
relation between a noun and some other word. 

T. Write that answer, and commit it to memory. Re- 
member, also, that a group of words beginning with a 
preposition is called a phrase. Most phrases are modifiers. 

Point out the prepositions and the phrases in the 

following sentences : 

1. Chestnuts grow on trees. 2. I walked slowly in the 
garden. 3. The boys waded across the stream. 4. Did you 
come through the woods ? 5. Mr. Perry usually buys ter 
pounds of coffee. 6. Will you walk into my parlor? 

Point out the subjects, the predicates, and the modifiers 
in these sentences. 

Model. — They drove rapidly through the park. They is 
the subject; drove, the predicate. Drove is modified by 
rapidly, and by the phrase through the park. 

Write Jive sentences, each containing a phrase modifying a noun. 
Model. — I heard the patter of the rain. 

Write five sentences, each containing a phrase modifying the predicate. 
Model. — The band marched up the street. 



58 LESSORS IN LANGUAGE. 

33. The Conjunction. 
i. 

Teacher. ( Writes) "James and Henry are sick." What 
two words are used as the subject of this sentence? 

A pupil. The words James and Henri/. 

T. What w r ord joins them? 

P. The word and joins them. 

T. ( Writes) " Emma or Jane will go with you." What 
word joins Emma and Jane ? 

P. The w 7 ord or joins them. 

T. (Writes) "We rode over the bridge, and dow T n the 
valley." What are the phrases in this sentence ? 

P. Over the bridge and down the valley. 

T. What w^ord joins them ? 

P. The word and. 

T. ( Writes) " John is at school, but Frank is at home." 
What word joins the two statements in this sentence ? 

P. The word hut. 

T. The w r ords and, or, and but, in these sentences, are 
used to join words or groups of words. They are called 
conjunctions. What, then, is a conjunction ? 

a pupii. A Conjunction is a word used to join 
words or groups of words. 

■ T. Write that answer, and commit it to memory. 

Point out the conjunctions in the following sentences : 

1. My brother and I are orphans. 2. "Roses or pinks may 
be used in the wreaths. 3. Will you go, if I stay ? 4. He 
can not go, for he is unwell. 5. That old man is rich, but 
he is very selfish and unhappy. 



THE CONJUNCTION. 59 

II. 

Teacher. ( Writes) "It is very warm. It is very dry. It 
is very dusty." How many sentences have I written? 

Pupils. You have written three sentences. 

T. How many times have I used the words it, is, and very? 

P. You have used them three times. 

T. When we were writing about objects seen in pictures, 
we found that we could name, in a single sentence, all 
the objects mentioned in four or five sentences. How did 
we do it? 

A pupil. I remember. We used "I see" and "in the 
picture" but once. 

T. How can we make a single sentence out of the three 
which I have written ? 

P. We will use it, is, and very but once. 

T. Very good. What is the sentence? 

P. " It is very warm, dry, and dusty." 

T. What mark have you placed after vmrm and dry ? 

P. A comma, because three words of the same kind, 
when written together, should be separated by commas. 

T. What word in your sentence is not in any one of 
the three sentences on the blackboard? 

P. The word and. 

T. What kind of word is it? 

P. It is a conjunction. 

Express the meaning of the following sentences in as few 
sentences as possible : 

1. My dog is very old, He is very cross. His teeth are 
gone. 2. Art is long. Time is fleeting. 3. The water in the 
river rose rapidly. It overflowed its banks in less than an 
hour It swept away a whole village. 4. We went down 
to the mill together. Each returned by himself. 5. It is 
growing dark. I think the sun has set. 



60 LESSONS IN LANGUAGE. 



34. Incorrect Language. 

Suggestions. — The teacher should assist the pupil in cor- 
recting these exercises. In doing this, the use of technical 
terms ought to be avoided. The proper word or form of ex- 
pression should be suggested, and the pupil required to write 
the corrected sentences in an exercise book. 

1. I have got five marbles. 2. That house there ought to 
be painted. 3. A tramp come to our house for to get some- 
thing to eat. 4. He did n't know where he was going to. 5. 
Will you just let me look at your writing ? 

6. My sister has went to San Francisco. 7. Has any one 
a pen they will lend me ? 8. I have came to see you. 9. Is 
that all the far you have gone? 10. How is that 'ere sick 
man this morning? 11. Where is Arthur living at? 

12. The cat has got in the pantry and ate the fish up. 13. 
I live to home now. 14. I guess you catched cold yesterday. 
15. Where are you gwine to? 16. I are gwine to where my 
sister lives. 

17. I knowed what you done there. 18. My bonnet is all 
wore out. 19. Esq. Jones has lots of stamps. 20. Put them 
apples in the wagon; I will tote 'em home. 21. John, he 
run, and the dog, he run. 

22. It 's so orful cold I 'm almost froze. 23. If he sauces 
me, I'll go for him. 24. There is many kinds of peaches; 
these kind are the best. 25. When does school take up? 
26. Isn't that word there writ wrong. 

27. I have saw two men fighting this mornin'. 28. I 
done the work you give me to do. 25 I never see a 
more hungrier set than we was. 

30. I aint well; m'aint I go home? 31. Wont you tote 
my basket for me ? 32. John haint got lie marbles ; he 
sha'nt play. 

Observe and correct your own language. 



PICTURE LESSONS. 



61 



35. Picture Lessons. 

IT. 







Teacher. If you wished to tell me that you once took 
a walk by the bank of a river, and saw a boy fishing like 
the one in the picture, how would you begin your story? 

A pupil. I should say, " When I was walking by the 
river, the other day, I saw a barefooted boy sitting on a 
log fishing." 

T. Ve^y well. What else would you say ? 

P. " He had just caught a fish, and was taking it off 
the hook when I passed by him.' 1 

T. Could you tell me any thing more ? 

P. Oh yes! "There were two fishes on a string which 
was fastened to the log. A box for bait was on the log 
near the boy. I talked with him some time. He told me 
that he was catching fish to sell, for his parents were poor." 



62 



LESSONS IN LANGUAGE, 



T. Did he tell you any thing more about himself? 

P. Yes, " He went to school in the winter; but had to 
work the rest of the year. When he could not find any 
work to do, he went fishing. A hotel keeper bought his 
fish, and he gave all the money to his mother." 

T. Now read all that you have written. 




Suggestion. — The pupils have already been taught how to 
study pictures and describe them. Let them ask themselves 
questions about the objects in this picture, and write their 
answers. The teacher should make such corrections as may be 
necessary, in case the answers do not form a connected series. 

Teacher. Tell me a story about these children. Ella, 
you may begin it. 



PICTURE LESSONS. 63 

Ella. " Clara and Susan came home from school, with 
their brother Silas, one afternoon, and found their mother 
very unwell. She told them that she wanted a cup of tea, 
but did not feel able to make a fire." 

T. Sadie, you may tell what followed. 

Sadie. " Silas did not say any thing, but put his school- 
books on a table and ran into the wood-shed to get some 
wood and a basket of kindlings." 

T. That will do, Sadie. Henry, what did Clara and 
Susan do ? 

Henry. " Clara and Susan went into the kitchen, and 
while Clara was sweeping, Susan went to the well and drew 
a pail of water. She then filled the tea-kettle, and put it 
on the stove." 

T. Edwin, you may finish the story. 

Edwin. " The children made very little noise. A cup 
of tea was soon ready, and was carried into their mother's 
room. She thanked them for their kindness, and said, ' I 
do n't think there are three better children in the world.' 
They then set the table for supper." 

Note. — The parts of this story should first be told by dif- 
ferent pupils, then all should write it, each making such 
changes and additions as may be thought appropriate. In 
fact, many pupils may prefer to write a story entirely differ- 
ent from the one given as a model. Let them do so, and 
assist them, by suggestions, in arranging the details. 

Select other pictures, and encourage the pupils to write 
stories suggested by them. 



64 



LESSONS IN LANGUAGE. 



VI. 



Tell what you see in this picture. Give names to the 
boys, and tell why the one in the window is holding out 
his hand. Tell why the lady has a stick in her hand, and 




whether she intends to whip the dog, the boy in the room 
or the boy at the window. 

Write a story about two boys and a dog, in which you 
tell why one of the boys or the dog was whipped. 

Write a story about a boy that told a falsehood and was 
punished for it. 



PICTURE LESSONS. 



65 



VII. 




Tell what these children are doing. Give them names. 
Tell whether the two standing together are at home, or at 
the home of the little girl holding the doll. Tell how old 
you think the little girl is that has a basket on her arm. 

Write a story about three children that played at keep- 
ing shop one afternoon. 

Write a story about a brother and a sister that spent a 
day with their cousin who lived in the country. Tell what 
games they played. 

Write a story about three little girls that were left alone at- 
home one afternoon. Tell how they spent the afternoon. 

Write a description of your play-house at home. Tell 
how large it is, and what playthings are in it. 
L. L. 5 



66 



LESSONS IN LANGUAGE. 



VIII. 




Tell what this boy is doing. Why he holds his arms 
out. Why he is looking down. How far he is above the 
water. Why you think he is or is not a brave boy. Why 
boys ought not to be in dangerous places unless older 
people are with them. Why children should not lean out 
of windows or swing on the branches of trees. 

Write a story about a boy that ran away from school, 
one morning, to play where some rough men were at work, 
and, when walking on a rail along the side of a dock, lost 
his balance and fell into the water. 

Write a story about a girl that fell from a window and 
was nearly killed. 



PICTURE LESSONS. 



67 



IX. 




Tell what you see in this picture. Describe the relation- 
ship of the different persons. Tell "whether they are going 
on a long journey or to a picnic. What is the lady saying 
to the children ? Write a description of a trip on a railroad, 
introducing some or all of these persons. 



68 



LESSONS IN LANGUAGE. 



X. 

Teacher. What do you see in this picture ? 
A pupil. I see a little girl standing by a window. 
T. What can be seen through the window ? 
P. Through the window can be seen a house, one large 
tree and many smaller ones, falling rain, and a rainbow. 




T. Is a storm approaching the house where the girl is, 
or has it passed it? 

P. A storm has passed over the house where the girl is. 

T. Why do you think so? 

P. I think it has, because water is running down the 
window panes, and we could not see the house or the rain- 
bow so clearly, if it were raining. 



PICTURE LESSONS. G9 

T. Does the picture represent a morning or an evening 
scene ? 

P. The picture represents an evening scene. 
T. Read what you have written. 

XI. 

Teacher. Look at the window frame. Does it not look 
like the frame of a picture ? 

A pupil. It is larger than any picture frame I ever saw. 

T. That may be; but a great many paintings are much 
larger than this window. Now, I want you to imagine that 
a picture of what is seen through the window is painted 
on it. James, tell me what you see in the picture. 

James. I see .... in the picture. 

Questions should now be asked concerning the objects 
seen, and they should be expressed and arranged in such 
a manner that the answers will form a description of these 
objects, and of the actions of objects having life. 

Require pupils to describe what can be seen through 
the windows and doors of the sitting room and parlor 
at home. 

XII. 

Teacher. We have been writing a long while about what 
can be seen in pictures, and through windows and doors. 
We will hereafter try to get along without frames for our 
pictures. 

Stand before the door of the school-house; look carefully 
at all the prominent objects before you; then write a de- 
scription of the objects seen. 

Write, also, a description of any thing that may occur 
while you are looking at those objects. 

Write descriptions of what can be seen from various 
places in the neigborhood, and of what may occur during 
your visits to those places. 



70 LESSONS IN LANGUAGE. 



36. Observation and Description. 

The pupils are provided with lead-pencils and slips 
of paper, or with slates and pencils. The teacher says, 
" Watch me, after I shall have counted four, until I clap 
my hands; then write a description of what you see me 
do during that time. One, two, three, four." 

The pupils watch the teacher, and write the descriptions 
required. The slates or slips of paper are then collected, 
the descriptions examined, and all necessary corrections 
made or suggested. 

The actions performed should be few and simple, at first; 
but should increase in number and complexity as the pupils 
learn to observe actions carefully, and to describe them 
correctly. The exact order in which actions occur should 
be observed in the descriptions. No important or essential 
particulars should be omitted. Require an accurate and 
complete statement of facts — no more and no less. 

As soon as the pupils can write the descriptions readily 
and accurately, the teacher may appoint monitors to con- 
duct the exercises. 

Exercises. 

1. The teacher counts four, takes a book from the desk 
and puts it under his left arm, walks across the room, takes 
the book in his right hand and pretends to read, returns 
to the desk, turns to the right and faces the pupils, then 
claps his hands. 

2. The teacher counts four, walks to a window, raises or 
closes it, returns to the platform, goes to the door and raps 
on it, turns to the right or the left and walks around the 
school room; on reaching the platform, he claps his hands. 

3. The teacher counts four, places the forefinger of his 
right hand on his lips and pretends to be listening, walks 



WRITING FROM MEMORY. 11 

to a pupil and asks him a question in a loud voice; on 
receiving an answer, he goes to a window and taps on it 
with his finger, then returns to the platform, takes his 
seat, and claps his hands. 

Correct the following exercises : 

1. Our teacher counted fore, then he went acrost the 
floor to a dore and rapped twist on it, and then he shet 
the window, and then he asked a boy something, and then 
he turned round and clapped his hands. 

2. Our teacher counted four. He took a pen in his hand. 
Laid it down. Then took a ruler from the desk. He 
walked to a window to shut it. It could not be shut. 
Then he walked to the door. He rapped on it. After 
that he turned round. He went to his desk. He clapped 
his hands. 

37. Writing from Memory. 

Teacher. Listen while I read. Be very quiet and at- 
tentive. 

HONEST PONTO. 

Ponto was a brave and honest dog. He would never 
leave the house unguarded at night; but watched while 
the family slept. 

One night some robbers tried to break into the house. 
Ponto attacked them, and drove them away, although he 
was shot at several times and badly wounded. 

He was sometimes sent to the butcher's with a basket 
for meat. The butcher would wrap the meat in some 
paper, and put it into the basket. Ponto would then 
carry the basket home, and was never known to touch 
the meat. 



72 LESSONS IN LANGUAGE. 

One morning, Ponto went to the butcher's with his mas- 
ter, who bought him some meat for his breakfast. His 
master did not wait to see him eat it, but went to his 
office and began to write a letter. 

Pretty soon he heard Ponto scratching at the door. On 
opening it, he saw him standing in the hall with a pack- 
age in his mouth. 

The butcher had wrapped the meat in a piece of paper 
to see what Ponto would do with it. Instead of tearing 
the paper off and eating the meat, he carried the package 
to his master. 

It was a long time before he could be made to under- 
stand that the meat was intended for him. He seemed to 
think that he must not eat it because it had been wrapped 
in paper. 

Teaclier. Now, I want you to write all you remember 
of what I have read. 

The pupils write : their work is then handed to the 
teacher for correction. 

Exercises. 

1. The teacher reads a short story: the pupils listen, and 
then reproduce it from memory. 2. The teacher permits the 
pupil to read a story or a description two or three times, 
then requires him to reproduce it entirely from memory. 

3. Write a story similar to the one read by the teacher, 
that is, a story illustrating the same habit, custom, fault, 
quality, principle, etc. 4. Write descriptions of the apjDear- 
ance and actions of domestic animals — stories and descrip- 
tions read by the teacher being taken as models. 

Note. — At first, the pupils should not be permitted to 
add any thing to the incidents of a story or the facts of a 
description. As soon as they can reproduce a story or a 
description readily, they may make such alterations and 
additions as seem appropriate. 



CHANGING VEKSE INTO PROSE. 73 



38. Changing Terse into Prose. 

Teacher. I will read a fable written in verse by Phoebe 
Cary. 

THE CHICKEN'S MISTAKE. 

1. A little downy chicken one day 

Asked leave to go to the water, 
For she saw a duck with her brood at play, 
Swimming and splashing about her. 

2. Indeed, she began to peep and cry, 

When her mother wouldn't let her: 
" If the ducks can swim there, why can't I; 
Are they any bigger or better?" 

3. Then the old hen answered, " Listen to me, 

And hush your foolish talking; 
Just look at your feet, and you will see 
They were only made for walking." 

4. But chicky wistfully eyed the brook, 

And did n't half believe her, 
For she seemed to say, by a knowing look, 
" Such stories could n't deceive her." 

5. And as her mother was scratching the ground, 

She muttered lower and lower, 
" I know I can go there and not be drowned, 
And so I think I '11 show her." 

6. Then she made a plunge where the water was deep, 

And saw too late her blunder; 
For she had n't hardly time to peep 
Till her foolish head went under. 

T. You may now write this story, not in verse, but in 
your own language. 



74 LESSONS IN LANGUAGE. 

Note. — The teacher should explain the difference be- 
tween verse and prose. 

Exercises. 

1. The teacher should read ballads, and require them to 
be changed into prose from memory. 2 The pupils should 
be permitted to read ballads, and then to change them into 
prose without quoting the language of the author. 3. Write 
a composition about keeping bad company, the thoughts 
being suggested by the following stanzas: 

THE WHITE KITTEN. 

1. My little white kitten now wants to go out 
And frolic, with no one to watch her about; 

11 Little kitten," I say, 
14 Just an hour you may stay, 
And be careful in choosing your places to play." 

2. But night has come down when I hear a loud "mew;" 
I open the door and my kitten comes through; 

My white kitten! ah me! 
Can it really be she — 
This ill-looking and beggar-like cat that I see? 

3. What ugly gray streaks on her side and her back ! 
Her nose, once as pink as a rose-bud, is black! 

Oh, I very well know, 
Though she does not say so, 
She has been where white kittens ought never to go. 

4. If little good children intend to do right, 
If little white kittens would keep themselves white, 

It is needful that they 
Should this counsel obey, 
And be careful in choosing their places to play. 



CHANGING VERSE INTO PROSE. 75 



A LEAP FOR LIFE. 

1. Old Ironsides at anchor lay- 

In the harbor of Mahon; 
A dead calm rested on the bay, 

And the winds to sleep had gone; 
When little Jack, the captain's son, 

With gallant hardihood, 
Climbed shroud and spar, and then upon 

The main-truck rose and stood. 

2. A shudder ran through every vein 

All eyes were turned on high; 
There stood the boy, with dizzy brain, 

Between the sea and sky. 
No hold had he above, below; 

Alone he stood in air; 
At that far height none dared to go; 

No aid could reach him there. 

3. We gazed, but not a man could speak; 

With horror all aghast; 
In groups, with pallid brow and cheek, 

We watched the quivering mast. 
The atmosphere grew thick and hot, 

And of a lurid hue, 
As riveted unto the spot, 

Stood officers and crew. 

4. The father came on deck — he gasped, 

"0 God! Thy will be done!" 
Then suddenly a rifle grasped, 
And aimed it at his son. 
u Jump! far out, boy, into the wave, 
Jump, or I fire," he said; 



76 LESSONS IN LANGUAGE. 

"This chance alone your life can save, 
Jump ! jump ! " He was obeyed. 

5. He sunk, he rose, he lived, he moved; 

He for the ship struck out; 
On board we hailed the lad beloved 

With many a manly shout, 
His father drew, with silent joy, 

Those wet limbs round his neck, 
And folded to his heart the boy. 

Then fainted on the deck. — G. P. Morris. 



THE SQUIRREL AND THE CHESTNUTS. 

1. " I pray you, good sir, do not molest me," 

Said a squirrel, from under an old chestnut tree; 
" The winter is coming and I must prepare 
For food and for shelter when the ground is all bare. 
I have frolicked and played through the long summer's 
But now I have something to do besides play: [day, 
So, good sir, if you please, pray do not molest me, 
While I gather the nuts from the old chestnut tree. 

2. "I have made me a store-house just under the wall, 

My hands they have formed and fashioned it all, 
And when the wind roars, and the loud tempests beat, 
I shall be quite as happy as a king on his seat. 
No want shall I know, for in the snug corner there 
Is just such a nest as I love to prepare; 
And with food laid in store for full many a day, 
I '11 care not how rudely the winter winds play ; 
So, good sir, if you please, pray do not molest me, 
While I gather the nuts from the old chestnut tree." 

3. And thus spake the squirrel, as quickly he sprung 
From the ground to the tree, and on the branch swung; 



LETTER-WRITING. 77 

And my heart it replied, " I '11 not molest you, 
My dear little fellow, for you've something to do: 
But a lesson I '11 learn from thy prudence and care, 
For I for the winter days, too, must prepare." 
So fresh courage he took at these kind words from me, 
And gathered the nuts from the old chestnut tree. 

H. S. Washburne. 

39. Letter Writing. 

Teacher. {Holding up a letter) Can any one tell me what 
this is ? 

A pupil. It is a letter. 

T. I will let you look at it. First, however, look at the 
superscription, or what is written on the envelope. You see 
that it looks like this : 



\4. O^zd. (XoSzsztde^ 



tdtZM. 



& 



The superscription of every letter ought to be written in 
a similar manner. Write the name and title of the person 
to whom the letter is to be sent a little below the middle 
of the envelope. Below this, and a little to the right of 

LofC. 



78 LESSONS IN LANGUAGE. 

the first letters of the name, write the name of the post- 
office. This is usually the name of some township, village, 
or city. The name of the county should be written below 
and a little to the right of the first letters of the name 
of the post office, and the abbreviation of the name of 
the state should be written in the lower right-hand cornen 
of the envelope. The top of an envelope is that part con- 
taining the flap. A stamp should always be placed on the 
envelope, in the upper right-hand corner, before it is sent 
to the post-office to be mailed. 

I will now open my letter. It is from an old friend. 
You see that the name of the city in which he lives, and 
the day of the month on which the letter was written, are 
placed near the top of the page. This part of a letter is 
called the date. 

After writing the date, my name was written on the next 
line beneath, beginning about half an inch from the left 
side of the page, and the name of my post-office on the 
line below that. The words " Dear Sir" were written next, 
beginning about two inches from the left side of the page. 
This part of a letter is called the address. Some call " Dear 
Sir," "My Dear Friend," etc., when written in this way, 
the introduction or complimentary address. These words are, 
however, only a part of the address. 

The body of the letter, which contains what the writer 
wished me to know, was then written ; after that, the sig- 
nature. The first word of the body of the letter was written 
under the last word of the address. Some begin this part 
of a letter farther to the right. The words "Yours truly" 
should begin a little to the left of the center of the line. 
Instead of these words, some prefer " Yours faithfully," 
" Very respectfully," etc. The signature should be written 
as legibly as possible. All attempts at " flourishes " should 
be avoided. 



LETTER-WRITING. 79 



FORM OF A LETTER. 









(date.) 


'\ 




(^tid^o^i, Csl/iQ-tzdd.; jjlwsie 


</, Jf/6. 




(address.) 








cJk* 


. $tid. j^vJisndvMs 








C/0Q ezt/td &<M; 


'■« 








jfW 


©&; 










(body of letter.) 


j 






Cs wstute 'l/ied. <£a 


-C'stpO'l'/'ll 


<W,<Ji<M> 


'^KtZ'Z -t,^ <ed 'WMf - 


tw£ew£caM, -£o 


^l-et^jLe-^ 


jLat wt'M, A-etz^l-A ^■Ae -cv^pt^^i^ d^^n^p^e^ <aw,€/ 


<6&lc£,£ (J/ <iA.ei4^ feiateez-u-ty, dee <w,€>'tt do-o-^i -£-74. 


sM,&€t4. 


<tsued-£e't--rt, '/la^yn^e. 








(0 


i&MAd 


(SIGNATURE.) 










#(@<e*i4'U, trfQtwedSZ) 



80 LESSONS IN LANGUAGE. 

I have told you how to write a letter. When you 
have written one, bring it to me and I will show you how 
to fold it and put it into an envelope. You may now 
write me a letter in which you shall tell me what you 
intend to do next Saturday afternoon. 

Exercises. 

1. Write a letter to a school-mate, requesting the loan 
of a book. 2. Write a letter to your parents, describing 
your studies in school. 3. Write a letter criticising a com- 
position written six months ago. 4. Write a letter to your 
cousin, inviting him, or her, to visit you. 5. Write a letter 
to any absent friend, about any subject that may interest 
you. 



AUG 18 1903 



Eclectic English Classics 



The best selections of English Literature in the most con- 
venient form with valuable notes and sold at the lowest prices. 

Arnold's (Matthew) Sohrab and Rustum . . $0.20 
Burke's Conciliation with the American Colonies . .20 

Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner . .20 

Defoe's History of the Plague in London ... .40 
DeQuincey's Revolt of the Tartars ... .20 

Emerson's American Scholar, Self-Reliance, and 

Compensation .20 

George Eliot's Silas Marner .30 

Goldsmith's Vicar of Wakefield 35 

Irving's Sketch Book — Selections .... .20 

Tales of a Traveler .50 

Macaulay's Second Essay on Chatham ... .20 

Essay on Milton .20 

Essay on Addison .20 

Life of Samuel Johnson .20 

Milton's L' Allegro, II Penseroso, Comus, Lycidas . .20 
Paradise Lost — Books I. and II. . . . . .20 

Pope's Homer's Iliad, Books I., VI., XXII., XXIV. 

Scott's Ivanhoe 50 

Marmion .40 

Lady of the Lake .30 

The Abbot .60 

Woodstock 60 

Shakespeare's Julius Caesar .20 

Twelfth Night 20 

Merchant of Venice .20 

Midsummer-Night's Dream 20 

As You Like It .20 

Macbeth 20 

Hamlet .25 

Sir Roger de Coverley Papers (The Spectator) . .20 

Southey's Life of Nelson .40 

Tennyson's Princess 

Webster's Bunker Hill Orations . . . . .20 



Copies of any of the Eclectic English Classics will be sent 
prepaid to any address, on receipt of the price, by the 
Publishers : 

American Book Company 

New York ♦ Cincinnati ♦ Chicago 



(over) 



Composition and Rhetoric 



Waddy's Elements of Composition and 
Rhetoric. With copious exercises in both Criti- 
cism and Construction. 
Cloth, i2mo. 416 pages . . . $1.00 

This is a practical text-book by a practical teacher, 
prepared for use in High Schools, Academies and 
Normal Schools. It is inductive in method, orderly 
in arrangement, concise and lucid in style. The 
treatment is well balanced, including (1) a general 
review of the essential principles of scientific gram- 
mar as a foundation for the study of rhetoric, (2) a 
brief course in composition with copious exercises 
for practice, and (3) the study of rhetoric proper 
which embraces much the larger portion of the book. 
While the book is full and comprehensive it does not 
attempt too much. In size as well as in scope and 
treatment it is well within the grasp of the ordinary 
class. 

Butler's School English 

For use in the Written English Work of Secondary 
Schools. Cloth, i2mo. 272 pages . 75 cents 

This is a brief, comprehensive, and thoroughly 
practical text-book, based on the principle of learning 
to do by doing. It has been prepared specially to 
secure definite results in the study of English. The 
work has been made brief to meet the demand on the 
part of teachers for a concise manual giving the rules 
and principles of grammar and rhetoric in such a 
distinct and striking way that pupils will readily 
understand and apply them. 



Copies of the above books -will be sent prepaid to any address^ 
on receipt of the price, by the Publishers: 

American Book Company 

New York ♦ Cincinnati ♦ Chicago 

(OVER^ 



READIN< 



Carefui,i,y-Graded Series, Fres 
illustrated 



LIBRARY OF CONCRESS 



003 182 432 1 



APPLETONS' READERS. 

Appletons' First Reader .,.,......,.,,.,,.. 18 cents 

Appletons' Second Reader 30 cents 

Appletons' Third Reader 38 cents 

Appletons' Introductory Fourth Reader 50 cents 

Appletons' Fourth Reader 50 cents 

Appletons' Fifth Reader 90 cents 

BARNES'S NEW NATIONAL READERS. 

Barnes's New First Reader , 20 cents 

Barnes's New Second Reader , . . 35 cents 

Barnes's New Third Reader 50 cents 

Barnes 's New Fourth Reader 70 cents 

Barnes's New Fifth Reader , 90 cents 

HARPER'S NEW READERS. 

Harper's First Rer.der 24 cents 

Harper's Second Reader 36 cents 

Harper's Third Reader 48 cents 

Harper's Fourth Reader 60 cents 

Harper's Fifth Reader 90 cents 

McGUFFEY'S REVISED ECLECTIC SERIES. 

McGuffey's Revised First Reader 17 cents 

McGuffey's Revised Second Reader. 30 cents 

McGuffey's Revised Third Reader . . 42 cents 

McGuffey's Revised Fourth Reader. 50 cents 

McGuffey's Revised Fifth Reader 72. cents 

McGuffey's Revised Sixth Reader 85 cents 

SWINTON'S READERS. 

Swinton's Primer and First Reader .V 25 cents 

Swinton's Second Reader 35 cents 

Swinton's Third Reader 50 cents 

Swinton's Fourth Reader 65 cents 

Swinton's Fifth Reader 90 cents 

Swinton's Sixth or Classic English Reader $1.08 

Copies of the above books will be mailed to any address, 
postpaid, on receipt of price. 



AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY, PUBLISHERS 

NEW YORK. CINCINNATI, CHICAGO. 



